A continued focus on antenna issues associated with the iPhone 4, following this week's update from Consumer Reports, could create a risk for Apple, one prominent Wall Street analyst believes.

Shaw Wu with Kaufman Bros. said in a note to investors Tuesday that iPhone 4 demand is still strong, but growing attention on the iPhone 4 antenna could be a concern for Apple. He said checks with supply chain sources have indicated that Apple is having difficulty keeping up with strong demand for its latest phone.

"So far, in our supply chain and industry checks, we have not seen any change in build plans or demand patterns and thus we are not changing our estimates looking for 7.5 million iPhones in the June quarter and 40 million in (calendar) 2010," he wrote.

He continued: "Should this antenna issue become a bigger deal, there could be risk to our as well as consensus iPhone estimates."

As he previously expressed, Wu continues to believe that it would be a simple and relatively inexpensive fix for Apple to discount or give away free bumper cases to relieve the antenna issue. The Apple-branded protective cases prevent users' skin from touching the external metal band on the iPhone 4, which also serves as the device's antennas.

The bumper cases retail for $29, and Apple has said that using them, or any other third-party case, will improve reception issues that users experience when improperly holding the iPhone 4. The issue is caused by touching or covering the gap between the two antennas on the device, found on the lower left side of the handset.

As exclusively reported by AppleInsider earlier this month, Apple gave at least one business free bumpers to fix their iPhone 4 reception issues. The cases were promised on the day the handset launched. Since then, the company allegedly sent a memo to its AppleCare employees, explicitly stating that the company is not "appeasing customers with free bumpers."

Consumer Reports on Monday did a 180-degree turn on its opinion of the iPhone 4, stating that it cannot recommend the device to potential buyers due to reception problems that are a result of the design of the handset. Earlier this month, the nonprofit organization took the opposite stance and said there was "no reason" not to buy an iPhone 4, as they were unable to recreate the widely reported signal loss issues.

Consumer Reports revised its stance after it completed more thorough testing of the iPhone 4 inside a controlled radio frequency isolation chamber. The test used three separate iPhone 4 handsets purchased in New York, and found that only those devices -- and not the iPhone 3GS or Palm Pre -- experienced signal issues.

Earlier this month, Apple admitted that the iPhone 4 calculates bars of signal strength incorrectly, and a software fix is expected to be delivered in the coming weeks. Apple's iOS allots nearly 40 percent of its total possible reception levels to five bars, from -51dB to -91 dB. But the distance from four bars to one bar of reception is much less, from -91dB to -113dB. But the fix will not address the hardware issues found with the device.

Doesn't a simple coating on the pieces in question fix the problem? They need to fix it and recall the ones that are already out in the wild. Steve's obsession for denouncing any limitations or flaws in Apple's products is growing old...

Th risk has already shown up in the price of the stock today: down over 5% on a market-adjusted basis (as I am writing this). The market cap is veering closer and closer to MSFT....

People at Apple had better take this very seriously. I am predicting shareholder lawsuits as well in the next couple of weeks, if Apple's Board does not address this, going over Steve Jobs's head if needed.

Th risk has already shown up in the price of the stock today: down over 5% on a market-adjusted basis (as I am writing this). The market cap is veering closer and closer to MSFT....

People at Apple had better take this very seriously. I am predicting shareholder lawsuits as well in the next couple of weeks, if Apple's Board does not address this, going over Steve Jobs's head if needed.

But... sales are going strong, last I heard, still two week waiting time, so what does that say?

that says that a lot of people don't read tech sites or consumer reports or little blurbs on the today show. they buy the shiny new cool apple thing, and when they, too have reception problems the issue snowballs.

So I guess all the independent tests are all 100% wrong. Prove your case that it's a non-issue for all i4 users. There may be some that it doesn't affect. However that is because they live in a place that has strong signal. We all know the bars are bunch of crap, especially how Apple calculates it. If you live in a stong area, your signal may drop from -63 to -91, which is still in the 5 bar threshold. However if you are at -88 and then drop to -110, you are down to 1 bar. For a lot of people, that's enough to drop the call or get worse voice quality. This is a real issue for a significant number of owners. Anyone who believes otherwise is ignorant.

Just because it doesn't affect a person individually doesn't mean it isn't real.

It may be hysteria, but Apple needs to realize that these things take on a life of their own. With a lower profile product, you can just quietly fix it, like they did with the video issues on some 27" iMacs, but, with something like this, you either control the story or the story begins to control you.

Well, not suffered from any signal loss or dropped calls with my iPhone 4 and the only problem I had was with the proximity sensor but that was only when I had the iPhone trapped between my ear and my shoulder.

If users were to toggle 3G off and only enable it when they want to browse etc then they wouldn't be losing any signal anyway as the drop only happens when connected to 3G. This also extends your battery life by a fair old margin.

What a bunch of Bruhahha and like "success" mentioned stock manipulators.

I placed 2 orders for iphone 4, for me and my wife. I am upgrading from 3G. After reading reports, I was concerned I would get a subpar phone.

I got my iphone yesterday and this device ROCKS. AMAZING. AWESOME. So far no reception issues. And no bumper yet. Which I'll buy anyway to protect the device. But my 3G had a ton of reception issues. My wife's samsung had reception issues.

Apple, please discount this bumper thingy to $8 or $10 and shut those suckers up. That would still be 80% profit probably

I don't know of anyone who so far has been complaining about loss of signal because they don't clutch the phone with their entire hand. However, you have to wonder why Apple would create the "BUMPER" for the phone. As far as I can remember this is the first time they have created a case or semi-case for the iPhone or iPod Touch. It sorta looks like they thought it could be an issue and this was the quick fix.

Mass hysteria without a shadow of doubt. Fuelled by Apples competitors and the headline hungry press.

My advice: If you are having reception issues.. stop holding it like a jerk.

"look ma, the toaster burns mah fingies when I put mah hand in it"

This story is about the stock market risks from market perceptions. Not about about 'jerks' who don't know how to hold the iPhone or (your paranoid delusions about) "....Apples [sic] competitors and the headline hungry press."

So I guess all the independent tests are all 100% wrong. Prove your case that it's a non-issue for every single i4 user.

What's there to prove besides that my phone works everywhere I take it with me and makes calls from places that my 3Gs would start to stutter? People who complain are either dorks trapped in their parents basements or don't have an iphone at all.

I am really sick of hearing this. A case does not fix the issue. I bought the supposedly top of the line phone with the expectation that it would work without changing its appearance. A case is not a fix!

I don't know of anyone who so far has been complaining about loss of signal because they don't clutch the phone with their entire hand. However, you have to wonder why Apple would create the "BUMPER" for the phone. As far as I can remember this is the first time they have created a case or semi-case for the iPhone or iPod Touch. It sorta looks like they thought it could be an issue and this was the quick fix.

I've reproduced the issue but it was hard to do. I had grip the phone very hard and hold it in an unnatural way. I'm a lefty and the only dropped calls I've had have been due to user error. I will say this, it's a much better phone than my 3G was and the 3G was very good. I'm not using it with any case but I have one on order. My 3G was in a case.

With the above in mind, Apple really needs to publicly address the issue. If Bumpers fix the bridging issue, then give people bumpers who ask. And drop the price down to $5.99 - 7.99 like they should be!

This story is about the stock market risks from market perceptions. Not about about 'jerks' who don't know how to hold the iPhone or (your paranoid delusions about) "....Apples [sic] competitors and the headline hungry press."

I am really sick of hearing this. A case does not fix the issue. I bought the supposedly top of the line phone with the expectation that it would work without changing its appearance. A case is not a fix!

I am really having a difficult time understanding why people don't just return the phones they think are defective. Isn't everyone still under the thirty day return period? Would you not do this for any other defective product? I have also heard that Apple is waiving the restocking fee for returned iPhones.

This story is about the stock market risks from market perceptions. Not about about 'jerks' who don't know how to hold the iPhone or (your paranoid delusions about) "....Apples [sic] competitors and the headline hungry press."

So (just as one example) Virgin mobile who currently do not sell the iPhone, are exaggerating the 'problem' in the call centres to persuade people to buy competing phones. Fuelling the hysteria. Same goes for any call center of any competing network anywhere in the world no doubt.

You gotta be pretty damn stupid to not take advantage of this if you are a competitor...

What's there to prove besides that my phone works everywhere I take it with me and makes calls from places that my 3Gs would start to stutter? People who complain are either dorks trapped in their parents basements or don't have an iphone at all.

Neither of those scenarios apply to me, but I can still reproduce the problem in different areas of Houston. Your ignorance in believing that the problem doesn't exist for anyone is sad. The problem is real.

The dropped call issue and voice quality issue due to the choke the chicken grip doesn't affect me either. But I also am not ignorant enough to believe that this doesn't affect other people.

Funny how everyone I know with an iPhone 4 has ZERO issues/problems with it. Must be magic air in Japan here.

funny how the 40 or so people i know ALL have reception issues. We can ALL replicate the death grip - i can do it standing four feet in front of my microcell and drop to no signal in about two minutes.

Neither of those scenarios apply to me, but I can still reproduce the problem in different areas of Houston. Your ignorance in believing that the problem doesn't exist for anyone is sad. The problem is real.

BS!!! I WAS in Houston last week! Using the phone for several days in different areas. A dropped bar is a problem??? The calls go through and the reception quality is amazing!

A continued focus on antenna issues associated with the iPhone 4, following this week's update from Consumer Reports, could create a risk for Apple, one prominent Wall Street analyst believes.

It may also create an avalanche of interest.

Look, the CR report was almost devoid of factual content. And it was far from an exhaustive test of the pros and cons of the antenna design. In addition, the fact that they saw fit to mock Apple with the "duct-tape" bit suggests they weren't really interested in imperical and exhaustive testing, only in getting "hits" to their website.